


Stay and Die, Leave and Live

by Trobadora



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Episode: s10e12 The Doctor Falls, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-01 18:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13300503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trobadora/pseuds/Trobadora
Summary: He asks her to stay; she leaves instead.





	Stay and Die, Leave and Live

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AuroraCloud](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuroraCloud/gifts).



> Set toward the end of _The Doctor Falls_

No stars in the sky. Blue or dark, above the Doctor is only another deck. He can't see the stars. With or without her: no more stars.

She walked away.

They walked away, she and he, together. The Master. His friend. Both of them his friend, though only one of them held out a hand to him, only one of them he dared hope he might be able to keep in his life.

He fought hope every step of the way, has won countless battles, and still lost the war.

No stars now. And he's alone.

  


* * *

  


"Stand with me." _Die with me._ It's not a reasonable request, but the Doctor's never been reasonable, and he's not about to start now.

She's stayed this long: stayed even after coming out of the Vault. Came to Mars for him; came to Roman Britain with him; came here.

Here, now, Missy turns away, and he's not surprised. His hearts ache.

  


* * *

  


"I'm stuck here, too, you know?" he said to her. "We're both prisoners."

Prisoners of hope, the both of them: _I want my friend back,_ she said. They both do. But he won't leave and live, and she won't stay and die, and here they are.

He swore an oath to watch her body for a thousand years. He's supposed to keep her, but he can't keep her now. She's a friend of his, after all.

He's supposed to be her jailer. He lets her walk away.

  


* * *

  


He asks her to stay; she leaves instead.

But he touched her, after all. Reached her, perhaps, just a little bit. After all these centuries, they finally came close enough again to touch.

Close, and touching, and then she turned away.

Wherever she goes now, whatever she does next, he hopes it won't what she would have done before.

She's walking away with her own past; it's a slim hope.

  


* * *

  


_You can always save someone_ , his new face told him, once upon a time. That's still true. He can save some people for some time, and that's what he's going to do, because it's the best option he can find. But he's only buying time - so little time.

If someone survives all this, it won't be because of him. Very likely no one will. The only ones who'll live are the Master, both him and her.

He thinks of her, alive. He can't regret it.

  


* * *

  


_Stand with me:_ too much to ask.

Stand, stay, fight - make a tiny difference for someone, anyone - and die. What could it have changed, her staying, other than to soothe the Doctor's loneliness? Perhaps everything. Probably nothing.

He asked for death, and she chose life. She walked away - left him alone, without stars.

He can't blame her.

  


* * *

  


No stars above in the artificial sky: this is how it ends. No more stars for him, now.

But Missy left: wherever she goes next, whatever she does, she'll still be out there. And perhaps - just perhaps - he made a difference after all. Perhaps they touched each other just enough. Perhaps this time, she will _see_ the stars.

There might be stars after all, if not for him.

No stars in the sky for the Doctor, no - but always this: Missy, the Mistress, the Master among the stars.

Where there are stars, there is hope.


End file.
